Snowflake extortionist admits 165-victim cloud crime spree – and squeezing one target twice

Connor Riley Moucka, a 26-year-old resident of Kitchener, Ontario, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges in the US in relation to a large-scale hacking spree. Moucka and his associates targeted over 165 organizations, compromising their cloud environments and stealing sensitive data. The total ransom payments from victims amounted to approximately $2.5 million, while Moucka alone received around $495,000.

The group was linked to the theft of over 165 organizations' customer records, including banking details, passport and driver's license numbers, and personal information of government officials. They demanded more money from at least one victim who had already paid a ransom, eventually receiving about $6 million. Moucka was arrested in Canada and extradited to the US in July. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 27.